A few nights ago I was in the middle of getting ready for bed when I decided I should turn on my little portable fan that sits on the floor and blows cold air on me all night. My entire reason for turning it on a little early, as opposed to right before I actually hopped in bed, is because in my quirky thinking I just knew that the 10 minutes extra it would blow would cool down my room to the perfect temperature. Listen, when you have two roommates, you all have to make sacrifices and compromise here and there. So while turning down the air conditioning would be my preference, I’ve decided it’s best not to freeze out my roommates.
Anyway, this is getting really long. And so far I’ve only discussed turning on my fan.
What I’m trying to get at is that when I turned the knob to “on” all it did was run its puny little motor and almost caught fire. By almost caught fire I mean it smelled a little like smoke so I freaked out, turned it off, and unplugged it right away.
Immediately following I announced to my roommates and to the world that my fan had just died. My faithful, portable fan of nine years that lulls me to sleep every night. Yes, I am co-dependent on my fan and not the least bit ashamed.
It may have died of old age and over-use, or all the dust in the motor, but I’m just going to believe its time was up.
Needless to say, I slept in silence with only a ceiling fan. Thankfully, I was so tired that I feel asleep pretty quick, but I did wake up nearly every hour both sweating profusely all the while wondering if the noises I was hearing was somebody trying to break into our apartment, or just normal, nightly noises.
My white-noise producing fan is my best friend.
I didn’t wait 24 hours before I marched myself to Target and stood in the “fan” aisle for nearly 30 minutes while researching every last portable fan. Eventually, I threw the “Vornado” in my basket, purchased it, and took it home for a test drive that evening. I have labeled it the Lexus of all fans. Listen, y’all. I have issues.
But if I know one thing to be true, I know that we here at LPM are serious about our sleep.
Although I am a big fan of sleep, I also tend to be a night owl and am one of those folks who can run on five or six hours of sleep, but it’s obvious I tend to be a snob about my sleeping situations.
I got so tickled about all this fan drama that I decided it would be fun to publicly display our quirky sleeping patterns. We know we all have them.
For instance, on top of the must-have oscillating buzz, I also have a ceiling fan that runs all night long, and I sleep with a total of three pillows, one for my head and two on either side of me. It’s so complicated, y’all. And we all know there are things I’m keeping to myself. You’re so welcome.
I know you know what’s coming next.
What are your MUST HAVES for a good night sleep? Do tell. I’m dying to know. If only to make myself feel so much better about my drama this week revolving around a little fan. Grin.
Oh, and happy Friday. May your weekend be full of sweet, uninterrupted sleep.
Lotion on the feet! A must-have! Cannot sleep without it.
Good sleep? My ceiling fan, white noise from the A/C or heater, my luxury sheets, and 7 pillows. Yes, 7. I basically build a person next to me out of pillows. 😀
Ceiling fan an absolute must, ac on 72, sheets have to be smooth can not stand for sheets to be crinkled and wrapped around my feet/legs, feet out from under the covers, my awesome brooks tone memory foam shoulder shaped pillow and some nights a noise machine. A perfect nights sleep is a science
I have to have to HAVE TO have my radio on. All day long I love me my worship music, but at night it HAS to be talk radio. If it’s music, my mind just sings right along. When hubby is not home, I just have my radio on my bedstand on all night long. But when he his home, I have to be more creative. I have a pillow speaker that I plug into my radio( or now my phone and use iheart radio) and put the pillow speaker under my pillow so that I can hear it but hubby cannot. He is a light sleeper, and he can’t understand after all these years (21) how I can sleep with the radio on. Well, if I don’t have it on… I toss and turn all night long. I usually doze in and out of sleep all night long, and it’s a rare occasion when I can remember ANY of the topics discussed throughout the night!
Thermostat set at 68 both summer and winter. Ceiling fan on low speed, but set on reverse in the winter. Covered only with down blanket (very light weight) and sheet. There must be a glass of ice water on the night stand. I set the intruder alarm right before I turn off the lights and place the key fob on night stand to quickly send an alert if intruder sets off the alarm during the night. Oh yes, iPhone must also be on the night stand. A pair of black panties are looped over the alarm monitor to cover up the bright red light, and a pair of my husband’s socks cover up the bright green light emanating from the cable box on top of the armoire. I almost forgot! After turning off the light and getting really comfy, I use the remote to elevate the head of the bed about 20 degrees. We are a compulsive group of ladies when it comes to our sleep routines!
I laughed so hard when I read your blog tonight. I honestly thought my son and his family was the weirdest people in the world when they arrived for a much anticipated holiday visit. I had ” theme decorated each of their bedrooms, put a decorated Christmas tree in very room, even decorated the bathrooms, hallways.. Over kill, but ” nothing was too good for my babies” . Until bed time that is! NOBODY could go to bed without a fan! what? A fan! It’s winter, I have the heater on and you want a fan? But off to Wal-mart I go to buy fans for my ” babies”… No matter how weird they are!! So sleep is precious to us all!!!
My white noise app is a must for me! I love ghd extreme rain setting! Have to have lip balm (Carmex is my favorite!). Like to sleep with a down comforter and sheet on my side with one foot sticking out of the covers!
Ceiling fan is a must. Feather pillow on top of foam pillow for my head and medium thickness pillow under my knees. Heavy blanket.
Oh and I have to have a clock. I hate waking up in the night and not knowing what time it is!
I laughed so hard when I read your blog tonight. I honestly thought my son and his family were the weirdest people in the world when they arrived for a much anticipated holiday visit. I had ” theme decorated each of their bedrooms, put a decorated Christmas tree in very room, even decorated the bathrooms, hallways.. Over kill, but ” nothing was too good for my babies” . Until bed time that is! NOBODY could go to bed without a fan! what? A fan! It’s winter, I have the heater on and you want a fan? But off to Wal-mart I go to buy fans for my ” babies”… No matter how weird they are!! So sleep is precious to us all!!!
Wow, what a great post! My mom shared this with me and we have enjoyed reading all of the comments together. 🙂 My mom and I both need our noise machines to sleep. I agree with the above comments about the 500 blankets 😉 , water by my bed, chapstick and that perfect sounding fan on the floor. My mom says, “you aren’t the only one who does these things!”. haha! I knew I wasn’t the only one, but maybe she needed some convincing. Maybe all of us blanket snugglers, cool temp-ers, chapstick wearers, water drinkers and non-snorers need to live together!
Not only do I have to have my reg fan and my celing fan but I have to wear socks to bed. No matter the temp I have to have socks on otherwise I can’t sleep (I’ve tried). But before I climb into bed I have to make sure my side of the sheets are tucked in at the end of the bed. My husband is 6’5 and needless to say I’m really short, well he pulls the sheets out every night, and I can not sleep unless my side is tucked in. (He laughs at me all the time
Bottle of water, mouth guard to prevent grinding, ceiling fan on, humidifier for moisture and white noise, a water pillow plus a very soft pillow on top of it, pillow between knees and one for propping arm. TV on HGTV with timer set for 30 minutes, but I am asleep before the couple makes thir choice. Never fails, they go through the synopsis of the 3 choices and then a commercial break, but I am out so rarely get to see their choice. I sleep so well now, and am so thankful for it.
Must have both ceiling fan and oscillating fan, alarm checked and re-checked, music on the iHome for at least 30 minutes to lull me to sleep, sleep mask on, and sheet folded over top edge of quilt pulled up to my chin. Before I fully fall asleep though, my right foot sneaks out from under the covers — yet I always wake up with both feet back under the covers. Now I feel more high maintenance than I ever knew and wonder how I got so neurotic about my sleep!
Your fan burning out reminded me of when I was in college and woke up to a silent room. My fan had stopped and it smelled like the motor was burning so I put it outside on the walkway in front of my steps and then couldn’t sleep all night because I was worried that it would catch the dry summer grass on fire and the house would burn!
When I travel I either take a little fan with me or buy one when I arrive. I think growing up in the hot Texas summers without air conditioning started my fan addiction!
Hahaha, this is fun!
It takes me quite a bit to “settle” into sleep mode unless I’m dog-tired! I shift from side to side, and each time my hair has to be pulled up off my neck. That lasts around 20 minutes.
When it’s hot I “wag” my feet to keep cool – I’ve done that for as long as I can remember. I used to have to have my leg touching the wall – but I’ve outgrown that one!
We have had this loud ticking clock for 25 years and both my husband and I miss it when we’ve slept away from home!
No blinking lights for me either. Felt like I was on the USS Enterprise or something! Quick remedy: post-its!
And finally, I too, keep an unopened water bottle near my bed – just in case. Just in case what, I don’t know, but I make sure it’s there.
My husband and I have had this conversation before! His snoring verses all my habits!
Sweet dreams ladies!
;o)
1. Fan.
2. A purple leopard print sleep mask. (I promise I’m really not high maintenance, just snobby in my sleep apparently). 😉
3. Retainer in.
4. Mouth slathered in Carmex.
5. NO SOCKS!
In the summer: the ceiling fan
In the winter: several big thick fat quilts over my feather duvet.
I have 5 pillows of various sizes, but only one that travels with me when I go places. Being a night shift worker, I can sleep in the light or the dark.
Recently I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and was prescribed a CPAP machine. I hadn’t put it on one night when I was heading to bed – the worst nights sleep ever – so I guess that is now on my must have list too!
My last must have before drifting off to sleep – to thank God for all He blessed me with during the day.
Must haves are the
1. cold glass of water by the bed side as quite of few of my darling siestas have said it rarely gets drank but if its not there I wake up Haking thinking I might die from choking! On what?
2. the lips must be coated with Nivea soft lips. Otherwise I think they might shrivel into sand paper in the middle of the night.
3. Total quiet except the sound of my two dogs breathing softly and my kitty purring. Summer time is an adjustment with the sound of crickets cricketing all night but after two weeks of the bedroom window being opened they become like the sweet sounds of my furry faced friends.
4. Feet must be hanging out of the down comforter whether its cold or hot!
5. Lastly and more importantly I must, ABSOLUTELY must fall asleep talking to our Lord otherwise I get NO sleep. He is the master of sleepfullness!! And like my siestas sleep is ever so important to me.
Lindsee and Siestas this was great thanks for the bedtime antics!
I just have to post my sleep routine. The room must be completely dark, dogs(silky wo used to hog the bed and Cairn who I would trip on when I have to use the bathroom in the pitch black)must not be in the bedroom. On top of my duvet I need at least one change of Jammie’s as I’m getting sweats from “mental pause”. My special aid is my iPod with over the ear phones to hear Celtic Lullabies and Gentle Worship CD to lull me to sleep. I somehow don’t get tangled up in it.
Funny that I should log onto email because I CANNOT SLEEP and read this. Not being able to sleep has become one of the most frustrating things in my life. Currently I am unemployed, and while I am not awake worrying about not working, I certainly think being on a normal sleep schedule would help. This is not a new challenge and I ask God frequently what I am supposed to be learning through this, but no answer so far. I have gone through boxes of Sleepy Time tea, cut out caffeine pretty much after noon, moved onto melatonin which worked great for maybe two weeks and still here I am. I have tried tv to fall asleep, no tv, reading, no computer when I am awake, pretty much everything. What hurts the most is the few times the dog may start to snore a bit as if laughing at me as I lay here praying, counting blessings, counting sheep and trying so much more. My friends say I live a luxurious life because I can sleep til 9am or 10am but they have absolutely no idea what this is like. Thanks for giving me something to do while I wait on Mr Sandman! Good nite, I mean morning!
This post and the responding comments encourage mr to no end! I thought I was the only one with these sleep “requirements”! I was cooling the whole house down every night for years until I got a portable A/C for my bedroom. Set that baby to,68 and let her rip! It also makes the loveliest white noise hum. I have grown so accustomed to its hum that I had to download a white noise app to travel with! There was actually an option to,select for Air Conditioning Noise! Slept well while traveling with it but it didn’t cool the room too. LOL!
Love to sleep under a heavy duvet, clean sheets, two pillows under my head, one pillow between or under my knees, earplugs (CVS pink ones made for women :), quiet dark room, door shut, metholatum ointment (my grandmother taught me this as a young girl to help me breath better) and my “Bucky” best eye mask ever (from Container Store). Oh dear, I have more sleeping requirement than I even realizd!
I have to have my two pillows exactly right and I have to wear pants or put the blanket between my legs because I don’t like my legs touching in my sleep??? Lol And I can’t have sheets that are tucked in, no way I’m a feet peek out girl. I have to have a thin sheet like blanket and thicker blanket on top normally my quilt but in winter I add to it. And I wish my husband would turn off the tv- we don’t need noise but I guess I have to live with it.
First of all Linds, I’m lying in bed reading your post and had a good genuine 3 LOLs: “puny little motor” something about the word “puny” and “Vornado”, now that’s just genius marketing. HaHa. Thanks for the laughs at 1140p. As for me:
Weighted blankets. Please note the “s”. I literally think I need to get one of those therapy blankets filled with magic beans or something; I need to be pinned down or I can’t sleep. A squishy, but not too squishy pillow. I need to bury my face comfortably, but it can’t sink straight to the mattress. I have a head that fits nicely on cement; a friend once said I was built for mission work or prison… LOL. And yep, the Pooh bear who has been with me since I was 7. Shameless. P.Bear goes EVERYWHERE with me when I travel and I crawl in to bed and panic if I can’t locate him when I’ve already turned out the lights: note to self, always locate das bear prior to shutting down luminaries.
I need pillows either side of me, one for my sore shoulder, also need earplugs other wise I hear those noises thinking my house is being broken into. And as its winter in New Zealand right now, my electric blanket
I wish I could just drop onto the bed and fall – immediately – into a deep, eight hour sleep. But…. not without my glass of water, ear plugs, Advil, Carmex, Eucerin and cell phone right next to me. If I try and sleep before my husband, then I’ll need my eye covering (for this item I find spending a few extra dollars is a must. You want one that really does keep the light out).
Pillows: A chiropractic one for my head, one between my legs (I sleep on my side) and one for under my arm. And socks – I have to have a pair on when I first crawl into bed as my toes are usually cold.
NEEDY. So very, very needy.
: )
Ha! That blog made me smile! I’m from Vancouver, Canada and I have a fan running all year long! On top of that I have my iPhone plugged into my ears with the sound of rain on a roof to help me sleep & not hear my handsome of 22 years snore! 😉 it works so well that when I go away I really only need the rain sound. It’s a free app btw. LOVE IT!
Since I’ve started working midnights I have to grab sleep when I can. One thing that is a must for me to sleep are ear plugs!! I can’t hardly sleep wo them, even on those rare times I actually get to sleep at night. Tonight is one of those times, I’m sleeping over at a friends house & sure enough forgot my earplugs. I find it fascinating to read this at the very moment I am having trouble…..sleeping:-)
so funny! I gotta have my kindle or a book. I have not resorted to bringing the cereal box to bed to read. No matter where we go I make sure to have my beddy bye book.
I have shard time sleeping but when I do… I have 3 pillows all under my head and my quilt and reading so I feel sleepy, maybe my iPhone under my pillow… Emergency emails, tweets and Facebook 😀
Lindsee..wow what a topic of discussion.
sleep challenges is my middle name..haha
praying through the nite for breakthru in personal issues
medical nurse assitants like myself in career have to stay awake with patients and working in hospitals..some shifts are 12 hours on and 12 hours off.
living in a foreign country..body clock changes
living in another state..body clock changes
God gives his BELOVED SLEEP.
answer:
fan
mild sleeping pill beginning at age 50.,.it changed my life and my happy marriage more happier and hubby Jim is rested bc im rested and hubby snoring does not bother me
awesome post Lindsee thx
Early to bed person here……… I would love to be in bed by 8:30 every night and I blame that on my parents who trained me that way. 🙂
I have a soft pink blanket with the best, softest, silkiest satin around the edge. Crawling under it, especially when it’s been freshly washed and dried, relaxes me immediately.
Must have it. It even goes on trips with me.
I too sleep with my fan on HIGH!! If there were a level higher than high…that’s where it would be set! I MUST wear some sort or pj pants that goes to my knees at the very least because I cannot sleep with my legs touching. The tv is on but the volume is all the way down. And I have a huge pillow on my right side the I call “the man”. In the summer the ac pretty much runs constant all night…and in the winter I all but turn the heat off!
Ceiling fan on, portable fan for that white noise effect ( I too don’t want to think about the noises of the house), sheets snug and tight.. No lumps or pull ups and that is non-negotiable. If there are and sheet problems the bed gets remade. Favorite night of sleep is the night that the sheets are washed and put back on. Would love that every night.. No lights, AT ALL. I have a sock covering the little red light on the dvr. Yes, a few sleeping issues. Thankful I’m not alone in this..
fan on, multiple blankets for me (hubby lijks just 1), glass of water on nightstand, cell phone for the alarm but as far away from my head as possible because i heard it causes tumors and interupts your sleep/brain waves, so to the farthest corner of my tiny nightstand, and my bible with nothing sitting or stacked on top of it also on my night stand….its not a big night stand but because i have my petpeve about never placing anything on top of my bible which takes up the most room everything else is squeezed on there and tends to fall of throughout the night like the lamp if i take a drink of water and am trying to find its place again in the dark or cell phone or whatever.
i didnt really think i was that complicated until i spelled this wholething out or realized i had much of a routine but this is the way it is everynight…lol
1. Live in So. Cal where cool ocean breezes do the trick every time.
2. Turn off any airconditioning and open up window at night.
3. If it is a really bad night, turn on overhead fan.
4. Never, never turn on airconditioning at night, no matter what! The house must breathe in real honest to goodness ocean breezes.
5. Praise God for His goodness and mercy…Psalms 23. (My husband won’t even think of us turning on airconditioning unless it reaches 81 degrees in the house by thermostat! Electricty costs you know!) LOL!
Overhead ceiling fan.
Oscillating fan set on high.
After I turned 50, a combipatch is a must have!!!!
I purchased the small Vornado last summer and it has been at my bedside since! It goes with me on trips away from home and is often referred to as the “green machine”. (Only color left on the shelf.) It is my best friend!!!
Thank God for this post! I simply must have my hubby read it–especially all these comments–so he’ll finally see that I’m not weird after all. Fans are an absolute MUST. And the stories I could tell you about all I have put him through to try and black-out a hotel room! Can anyone explain why they put smoke alarms.with annoying red lights in the ceiling directly over the bed? My husband is only 5’6″. It is sometimes all he can to stand on the bed and arrange a spare pair of his undershorts on the device to block that pesky light! And of course our horror is that, in our rush to get out the next morning, we forget to take them down! (I’ve now found a comfortable blindfold I can sleep with while traveling. And we’ve saved a ton on duct tape since then!)
Peaceful sleep, everyone!
I’ve been following this blog for a couple of years, but have never left a comment except for SSMT posts…but this subject just cracked me up because I’m just as quirky as the rest of y’all!! I love it! Y’all make me feel normal 🙂
I’m single and live alone, so I get to set the thermostat where I want, but I also run my ceiling fan all night every night (summer or winter). I have an iPhone dock beside my bed, so I can use my WhiteNoise app every night. (Lindsee, you might check into it!) I keep a cup of water beside my bed (You just never know when you’ll need it?!). And, I don’t like my feet restricted, so I don’t tuck in my blanket (think light quilt). It and three pillows… makes for an excellent night’s sleep!:) (one of those pillows, I’ve had since birth!…I love it and always take it with me on trips!)
I am so tickled reading this post! Count me in the minority group of people who cannot sleep with a fan on, ceiling or portable. I have asthma and this will make me wheeze faster than anything. I do, however, have an affinity for a cool pillow and I have taught that to my kids! And I like a Tervis tumbler of water on the beside table.
I have to have my family home and my little shihtzu by my head. She’s been sleeping there for 14 years!
I too require no less than 2 pillows though 3 are ideal. I normally go to sleep with the TV on. Thank goodness for automatic timers that turn it off some time in the middle of the night because it will wake my up if it stays on too long. A fan in the spring and summer. A sheet and comforter, for the weight. But the absolute must I’d the closet door has to be closed! Even at 55 I guess I think the boogy man is going to get me.
ALL doors must be closed. I totally understand! 🙂
3 pillows… One for under my head, one for me to hold, and one for on top of my head (so I don’t have to listen to my husband snore!). VERY ATTRACTIVE!!!
on my left side (or whichever side has me facing the edge of the bed) with my beagle under the covers and laying against my stomach (picture the football player tucking the ball and running to the endzone in a bent-over position); labrador on top of the covers laying longwise against the back of my legs. ceiling fan on high; a/c cooling to 67 when necessary in NH. noise and light don’t bother me but being breathed on does. my own feather pillow travels with me. it’s funny – i can sleep fine when my husband is out of town, but it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep if i’m out of town and don’t have the dogs in their places.
If anyones fan breaks or you have to travel and taking a fan would be a bit much, best app ever created on a smart phone is the white noise app. It’s wonderful!!! They have several different degree’s of white noise, along with several other typical and a bit unusual other sounds (like rocks in a dryer. Umm…why?) Anyway, hope this helps!
Oh my stars! Are we related? I have to have my turbo fan going and the ceiling fan going, plus the thermostat set to 71 in summer and 65 in winter. I used to sleep on 2 pillows, plus one on either side of me, but my husband felt like I was shutting him out. 🙁 I’ve weaned myself down to only 1 pillow. I tried weaning off the turbo fan(it’s my white noise), but then I could really hear my husband snore and dare I say it…..he could hear me snore too! lol
This is all hilarious! My husband said I have to write. We’ve used a white noise, small fan by my head (to drown out his snoring) for years. If we forget to take it with us on a trip, we have to go BUY one! Just returned from 17 days in Europe on a tour, and one couple didn’t bring any kind of white noise (we used the app on our phones – not the same!). The wife spent the first week trying to find a fan to buy in the small towns in Germany. She finally found one in Interlocken and carried it with her the rest of the trip. Wonder if she brought it back to the states!) I also have to have a sheet and at least a light cotton blanket. Ceiling fan is on high all summer, which starts in April and lasts until October in Houston! Thanks for the fun post and comments from everyone!
Jeri, Draper UT
Darkness and quiet. I am generally a heavy sleeper and my husband is not. He wishes I could sleep with the ceiling fan on, but I just can’t .
I have trouble falling asleep, so I watch TV until I’m so drowsy I can’t stay awake. I have pillows arranged just so at my back and I sleep on 4 pillows. I always start out on my right side and somehow end up by morning on my left. I have to have a fan on and a sheet. Perfect.